The Johannesburg Development Agency‘s (JDA) project along Louis Botha Avenue on the S-bend mural wall near Upper Houghton has been met with criticism by the residents.
This after the agency, which is an entity of the City of Johannesburg, put up steel boxes on the recently renovated wall, allegedly without consulting the locals.
In an email sent to Ward 73 councillor Eleanor Huggett on 3 January, which North Eastern Tribune has seen, the author, Glenn Lambert, claimed that they were not consulted about the project which is part of the Rea Vaya Bus project.
In his email, Lambert claimed that one of the steel boxes was used by an intruder who had allegedly climbed on top of it and gained entry to his property with an aim to steal a TV set. “This morning [3 January] someone accessed my property using [a steel box] the one closest to St David Lane, broke into my gardener’s room and attempted to steal his TV.
“Fortunately, he was disturbed by a security guard and took off, leaving the TV behind. He did however cause damage to the door! I checked the top of the box this morning and there are footprints on it. While climbing into my property the perpetrator also knocked a brick off the top of my boundary wall with the neighbour.”
These metal boxes have completely negated the protection and deterrence afforded by the high walls, added Lambert.
He said: “This is another example of the false claims of community engagement and consultative processes by City Council and its agents. None of us were informed or consulted!”
Lambert suggested that if Council is not prepared to remove the boxes they must raise the western section of the wall by at least two metres.
When contacted on 3 January, the spokesperson for JDA, Susan Munyai, said they will investigate the matter when the staff come back from festive season holidays.
“The office is currently closed and we will be back on 20 January and we will then investigate the matter and respond accordingly,” she told Tribune.
Huggett, who is currently also on leave, said she has escalated the matter to JDA as well and is waiting for a response.
The matter was not reported to the police as Lambert said he only notified the councillor and local authorities such as the residents’ association.
Details: Eleanor Huggett 071 785 8068.
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